aftermath

We got lucky here in the DC area. Larry and I waited all day for the hurricane to hit, but aside from two days of steady rain and some strong gusts of wind, Sandy left us alone. Sure there are damaged buildings, some flooding, and downed trees in the area, but what happened here was nothing compared to the horrific damage along the Jersey Shore and in New York.

The power stayed on so long that I even had time to bake (pumpkin roll!) and make some simple syrups (rosemary and lavender). I actually had a rather enjoyable evening hanging out with Larry, chatting with friends on Twitter (it was like a virtual slumber party!), and experimenting with cocktails. The electricity finally went out at 9:30 pm, so we lit candles, snuggled up by the fire, and went to sleep on the sofa. By 1:30 am, the electricity was back on again. No big deal.

Our fence did go down, YES AGAIN - but besides being a pain in the ass (leash walking dogs in a hurricane is no fun - always wear your hard hat!), it was really minor damage. I'm so very thankful the trees decided to stay standing this time.








Unfortunately, the Jersey Shore got hammered and the news isn't good for the borough of Belmar, or my Dad's beloved bungalow. The Belmar boardwalk was destroyed and Dad's neighbor reports two feet of water in his house. The whole town was evacuated and it will probably be at least a week or more before my dad can get back into town to assess the damage. The good news is that his house is still there, but undoubtably there is significant water damage and most likely standing water in the house. (So glad I photographed some of the treasures in the bungalow this summer.) We'll take it day by day and hope that everything can be fixed. I'm so thankful that my family is safe, but of course it's heartbreaking to have the beach house, which my great-grandfather purchased in 1943, sustain damage from the hurricane. It's even more heartbreaking for some of Dad's neighbors who live in Belmar full-time and have nowhere else to go.

I haven't been able to take my eyes off the footage of the horrific destruction in Monmouth and Ocean Counties that's been trickling in over the past few days. New Jersey, you're in my thoughts!